The library moves! Please keep on moving

In Zhonghe Dist., New Taipei City, there is a bus packed with books that regularly travels through the streets, finding its way into every nook and cranny of the area. This is the mobile library, which makes borrowing a book accessible to those living in areas where no public library is available. Unfortunately, when Taipei County was upgraded to New Taipei City at the end of 2010, the mobile-library service was suspended and the scope of its route reduced. This gave rise to a storm of protest from users, and the authorities have hence restored the service; now the mobile-library service runs five days a week in the streets.

The job could appear as being monotonous and tough, with each day being just like the last, the summer days extremely hot and winter days cold. However, staff at the mobile library see the job as an opportunity to build new friendships and maintain old relationships with the users – it seems that the enthusiastic support given to the them is enough reward in itself. For users, it is not the quantity of books that draws them back, but the sheer convenience of having a library on their doorstep. The mobile-library service only stays the afternoon, however still manages to attract many avid readers in the short time, which greatly helps those who are unable to make their way to a public library. Zhonghe is a wonderful example of the benefits a mobile-library service can give to the community, and Taiwan has many similar areas that would also greatly benefit.  It is more than evident that the service needs to be both widened and continued.

The library moves! Please keep on moving (by CJ rone)

URL: http://www.peopo.org/news/82256

(以下是中文對照)

會走的圖書館 請繼續走下去(公民記者 rone)

在新北市中和，有一台巴士載著滿車的書，在大街小巷移動，讓家裡附近沒有圖書館的民眾可以方便借書，這就是行動圖書館。但是99年底台北縣升格後，行動圖書館發生停駛和縮減路線的規畫，引起讀者強烈不滿，現在，行動圖書館仍舊裝著一車的書，一週五天跑在中和大街小巷。

車內，夏暖冬涼；巡迴地點，每週如一。但對圖書館員來說，每次巡迴就是和讀者建立感情，而讀者的支持和熱心是他們最大的成就。對讀者來說，巴士的藏書量並 不是最大的期待，它巡迴各地，隨時可以借書才是最大的特色。只是短短一個下午，但卻拉近了讀者的情感，更造福了不方便借書的讀者。家裡附近沒有圖書館的讀 者，需要會走的圖書館讓他們就近借書閱讀，中和的行動圖書館只是一個例子，台灣有許多地方需要這種服務，不但要廣泛，還要持續。

為擴大服務範圍，自2010年4月起，PeoPo每周精選三則公民報導及相關活動與發展，翻譯成英文摘要，讓更多關心台灣公民新聞的朋友，瞭解台灣在地大小事。